Blaze of Glory (12 page)

“What’s the Agency going to do?” I pulled us up to a higher altitude, feeling a shiver run over my bare skin as the temperature dropped. Thank goodness it was only September and not January.

“I have no idea.” Hunter’s hand twitched around mine. “Jenny didn’t see this. They might not activate the plugs. They might want to wait and see what happens. Who turns up to the fight, who stays in hiding. But whatever happens we can’t leave it up to them to turn your lives on and off.”

“Obviously,” Limox barked. “They didn’t see much else other than how to fuck things up, it seems.”

“True,” the Guardian admitted. “But maybe it’s better that we look forward instead of back right now.”

A low hum began in my head, a sort of mental static.

“May…” Hunter spoke slowly and calmly. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”

I turned my head to one side, seeing the panicky expression on her face. “May, it’s good. We’re just fine.”

The elderly woman swallowed so loudly it sounded like a gunshot. “I know. It’s just awfully dark out here.”

“It’s night,” Limox whispered, almost apologetic.

“We’re just fine,” I repeated, pushing us up to a higher altitude. “I’ve got you and we’re going to be over land pretty soon.”

The static in my head diminished just a tad, the edge rubbing off.

“It’s sort of nice up here, really,” Limox mumbled.

“Sort of.” May’s voice was soft but edging towards cheerful. “Lovely night.”

“See the lights to our right?” Hunter interjected. “That’s pretty.”

The mundane conversation went on for the better part of the trip, keeping May calm and collected. Even Limox did a good job with a few colorful jokes that skirted the edge of decency.

My stomach gave an angry growl, sending us down a few feet as I adjusted to the sudden ache. I ended up leveling us out a good thirty feet above the lake water. May’s grip, which had lessened slightly as the flight went on, tightened even more.

“Hungry?” Hunter responded in my ear.

“I guess so.” The empty feeling continued to chew at the edges of my focus. “Thought I’d eaten enough before we left. Those omelets David made were plenty stuffed.”

“Burning up too much energy.” His hand twitched in mine. “I thought you might have something like this happen.”

Hunter started twisting, maneuvering around and under me, his right hand digging in one pocket.

“What’s going on?” Limox shifted back and forth. “I can’t see anything. What’s going on?”

“Just a little midair refueling.” Hunter winked at me as he withdrew a nutrition bar from a pocket in his jacket. He ripped it open with his teeth, then reached up and put the chewy granola slab to my lips.

I took a bite, savoring the taste as my stomach gave another lurch. Chewing the delicious nuts and oat mouthful, I felt the aura around us grow stronger and more intense.

“There you go.” Hunter looked to the side, catching May’s attention. “See, nothing to worry about.”

“Nothing.” Limox sighed. “Nothing to see here, folks, just move along.”

Leaning down, I grabbed another mouthful, talking around the food. “Thanks.”

“Always be prepared.” Hunter grinned. “Think it’ll take a long time for this hair dye to wash out?”

“Oh, yeah,” I mumbled. “Besides, you make a good brunet.”

“Thanks. I think.” His fingers brushed my lips as he positioned the last bite of the bar. The sudden heat flaring up from his touch sent a shiver along my spine. Without thinking, my tongue shot out, licking the last of the chocolate from his hand.

His eyes went wide, a playful smile on his face. Pulling away, he twisted back up beside me, still holding onto my hand.

“Okay.” His voice was steady and calm. “This is how we’re going to do this…”

Chapter Ten

I could tell you that we came in with a picture-perfect landing like the cover of a thousand comic books, touching down with the gentle whiff of a butterfly’s wing.

I would be lying.

“It’s pretty flat,” Hunter had said a few minutes earlier, squinting as he stared into the darkness. “Keep as low to the treetops as you can. Without killing us, that is.”

I grunted, too busy to snark back at him. The small trees were still in full flower, making it hard to see where the sky ended and they began until my feet literally began to drag across them.

“Hey!” Limox roared in my ear.

“Shut up. You’re just fine,” I growled through the link. A nasty branch tangled around my ankle, forcing me to suddenly lose altitude.

May’s terrified squeak lasted as long as it took for me to yank my foot free, sending us into a strange spiral spin up into the night.

“Jo…” Hunter’s low, calming voice filled my ears. “There’s a clearing just to our left. Head for that.”

Without arguing I shifted our bubble down towards the small grassy spot, no bigger than maybe twenty feet wide in an odd rectangle shape.

I eased back on the imaginary throttle, knowing this wasn’t going to be anything to tell the tabloids about.

We landed, a writhing mass of arms and legs atop each other, tangled up in a pile of bushes a good mile from what Hunter said was the entrance to the Agency. As I extracted myself from the stack I could have sworn I heard someone chuckling.

“If I’ve broken anything, I’m going to sue you,” Limox grumbled, brushing twigs and dirt from the front of his black sweatshirt.

“Stuff it. I thought you liked being on top.” I turned to May who was busy shaking her head back and forth, trying to dislodge a handful of colorful leaves that had taken root. “Are you okay?”

“Just fine.” Her cheerful voice was a welcome distraction. “That was great.” She beamed at Hunter. He shook his head, carefully plucking the last of the leaves from her hair.

“Glad you like it. Going to have to do it again to get back home.” Hunter looked at Limox, then at me. “Ready to go?”

“Do I get a vote?” Limox asked, lifting one chubby hand into the air.

“No,” both Hunter and I responded at the same time. Mayday let out a giggle behind one hand. I heard Limox cursing under his breath behind me and considered telling May about it but thought the better of it—we still needed his powers to get through this.

The barn and farmhouse were easily visible in the early light of dawn. Hunter looked up at the rising sun as we trod down the dirt road.

“Not bad time-wise.” He glanced at his watch. “Going to make it right at shift change.”

“And that’s a good thing?” Limox asked.

“Sort of,” Hunter said. “There’s always a bit of confusion during a shift change, people not being exactly where they should be, a loss of communication for a few minutes. Enough to take advantage of, if you know how.”

“And twice the people to deal with,” Limox shot back. “And this is your great plan?”

“It’s as good as it gets,” Hunter replied. “If you’ve got anything else, you should have spoken up before.”

Limox spat on the ground. “I sure as hell didn’t think we’d be walking into a nest of trouble.”

The static began in my mind, a low rumble. “Limox, shut up. We all agreed to this before we even left Toronto, so just shut the hell up.” I turned to May. “It’ll be fine. You know Hunter’s a smart guy.”

“The smartest.” She smiled back. “And he looks good as a brunet, don’t you think?”

I grinned. “So do you.”

Hunter pointed at the barn. “That’s where the main facility is, according to what I remember. Farmhouse is for the security people, mostly. They actually run the farm.”

“Any external alarms?” I tried to see as far as I could in the dim light, wishing I had been gifted with night vision as well.

“Nope. They’re not afraid of being attacked. They know where every super is, right?” Hunter reached out and tapped the jammer unit still tucked inside my jacket. “And that hides all of you.”

“As long as we stay close,” Limox grumbled again.

“Which is why Jessie gave each of you your own,” Hunter shot back. “Or didn’t you bother to bring yours along?”

Out of the corner of my eye I saw the super raise his hands, fingers extended in what could be a possible attack.

“Enough,” I growled at the two men. “Save it for the Agency thugs. ’Cause you know they’re not going to let us walk in, pop this computer program and walk out.” My own gloved hands moved up. “And if I have to shock the two of you and leave your bodies here while May and I do it, I will.”

Limox’s hands fell back to his sides with an annoyed grunt in the darkness. Hunter remained silent.

“Right.” I nodded towards May. “As soon as you can, start doing that thing you do.”

May looked at Hunter, lifting her hands. “How much?”

The Guardian raised his thumb and index finger, placing them an inch or so apart. “Knockout much, May. And a bit of a headache afterwards. They’re not really nice guys.” He paused. “Be careful. They may be pretty tough.”

She shot him a smile that belonged on a much younger woman. “Buster, they ain’t seen nothing yet.”

The low buzz in my brain jumped in intensity, finally stopping with an abrupt mental snap. A few seconds later she grinned.

“All done,” May announced as if she’d just won the pie-making competition at the county fair. “Should be good for close to a half hour, maybe.”

“Maybe?” Limox squeaked, slapping his right ear with his hand. “And, for your information, I’ve got a heck of a ringing here.”

“Should have been nicer to her.” Hunter waved us towards the barn. “My code should at least get us in the front door. After that, well…”

“Three floors down, the computers. Four floors down, Jenny,” I repeated from our briefing back at the apartment. I still couldn’t call it a base. “And the first two are filled with security as the welcoming committee. Wonderful.”

“What’s under the girl? Any treasure vaults?” Limox muttered as we advanced on the two red barn doors. There were no screaming alarms, no tripwires activating death beams, no land mines shooting up to disembody us in a microsecond. Nothing but dirt and stone under our shuffling feet.

“Training and discipline facility,” Hunter said, an almost-sorrowful tone in his voice. “Been empty for years.”

“Good.” I reached the door first, gloves fully charged up. “I think we have enemies enough, don’t you?”

The small keypad was hidden behind a loose plank of wood, the peeling red paint running off in long strips. Hunter tapped in a nine-digit code and held his breath.

After what seemed like an eternity the small light flickered from red to green, and the sound of a deadbolt being unlocked was loud and very noticeable.

I took a deep breath, thinking of Mike. “Time to rock and shock, people.” Lifting my hands, I motioned for Hunter to open the door.

Contrary to what people might think, Guardians aren’t equipped with guns. And Hunter had made it very plain to me that he refused to carry one even if we had managed to get one for him. So my surprise when he charged through the open door, yelling like a banshee, was genuine.

And totally wasted when we found ourselves on the first floor with an unconscious security guard slumped over the desk, the monitors revealing a slew of similar scenes all through the complex.

Limox stared at May, a sudden burst of respect in his voice. “You did them pretty good.”

Judging from the expression on her face, it was a surprise to May as well. She glanced at Hunter, who just nodded his approval with a touch of a smile on his lips.

The elevator doors opened quietly—no mellow music to accompany us down to the third level. Hunter tilted his head close to me, holding the nightstick and taser he had liberated from the first guard.

“Don’t get cocky. This isn’t going to be that easy.”

“Don’t get cocky.” Mike’s voice echoed in my ears as we swooped down on the first supervillain, another newbie called Danny Pulse. He stood there in the middle of the park with his hands on his hips, looking rather smug in yellow spandex with a goofy grin.

“Just don’t let him…” Mike’s words died away as the kid with the long red mullet lifted his fists towards me, firing off a pulse wave that not only rippled along the ground under me, tearing up the grass, but also blasted me out of the air, shattering my control.

I smashed into the oak tree behind me and slid down to the ground in an embarrassing heap of arms and legs. Metal Mike landed behind the punk who was too busy laughing, bent over and clutching his stomach at my confusion.

“
That
is why you don’t get cocky,” Mike rumbled as he slammed one metal fist into the side of Danny Pulse. “Now get to your feet and do your job.”

The elevator doors slid open, Hunter and myself taking point. A guard slumped behind his desk, a line of drool running out of his mouth. Hunter stopped to pick up the taser from the guard’s belt and then looked down the corridor.

“No idea which door it is. Better split up.”

I gestured to Mayday and Meltdown. “Go hunting for anything that looks important enough computer-wise.”

Limox scoffed. “Well, that’s specific enough.”

“How about anything that looks like it’ll blow your head off?” I snapped back. “We’ve only got a few minutes before they wake up, and I’d rather not fight my way back out, okay?”

Hunter lifted his hands. “It’s going to have a map screen of all the supers and where they’re located, recording the GPS signals as they come in. Look for something that’s really, really impressive.” He studied May’s face. “Be careful,” he said in a low tone. “These men are not playing.”

“I’ll be fine.” She strode down the corridor, heading for the first door. “I’ve been in tougher spots before.”

I couldn’t help glancing at Hunter. “Yes, she has.” He grinned. “But that’s another story.”

Limox muttered something as he passed the two of them, moving towards another door and leaving me the last door at the far end.

It would have been nice if we had gotten lucky on the first door, but as it was we ended up regrouping in the middle of the hallway a few minutes later.

Limox was chewing on a chocolate bar. “What?” he responded to my stare. “I was hungry. And I didn’t have any change for the machine.”

“Whatever.” I focused on May and Hunter. “No luck either?”